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חָמַם

𐤇𐤌𐤌

châmam

H2552 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חמם to be hot, to become warm, to heat up

Definition

To become warm or hot; to experience or be affected by increased heat, both in a literal, physical sense (temperature, bodily warmth) and in a figurative sense (emotional intensity such as passion, zeal, or ardor). The term is used for physical heating, such as an object or person becoming warm, and for metaphorically describing emotional or spiritual fervor.

Semantic Range

to become hot, to become warm, to grow warm (of a person or object), to be heated (literal); to be inflamed with emotion, to feel passion, zeal, or ardor (figurative)

Root / Etymology

Root: ח-מ-ם. The root conveys the sense of heat or warmth. The verb חָמַם directly derives from this root and primarily denotes the act of becoming hot or warm. The same root generates related nouns, such as חֵמָה (heat, rage) and adjectives (חַם – hot).

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָמַם appears infrequently in the Hebrew Bible and typically describes a physical increase in temperature (such as someone's body becoming warm, 1 Kings 1:1–2), but in other cases, it is employed figuratively for emotional states or fervent feelings (Is 24:15). Over time, the semantic range of the root developed to encompass both tangible warmth and more abstract, internal experiences like enthusiasm or anger. This duality is preserved in later Hebrew and related Semitic languages. The concept of heat as both a physical and an emotional/spiritual quality is widespread in biblical idiom; compare also with related roots (e.g., חרה for burning anger, לבב for internal emotion/warmth). Standard English translations usually render the physical sense as 'warm' or 'hot,' but often fail to render the figurative/emotional senses fully.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to be hot (literally or figuratively); enflame self, get (have) heat, be (wax) hot, (be, wax) warm (self, at).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חמם (ḥ-m-m) — heat, warmth, becoming hot, fervor

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2525 חָם hot ones
H2527 חֹם in heat
H2536 חַמּוּאֵל Chammuel
H2540 חַמּוֹן Warm-Spring Place

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2552-07 וְ/חַ֥ם vecham HC/Vqp3ms and grew hot and Hot-One 3
H2552-06 וַ/יָּ֖חָם vayacham HC/Vqw3ms and grew warm and he became hot 2
H2552-03 הַ/נֵּֽחָמִים֙ hanechamim HTd/VNrmpa who inflame yourselves the ones becoming heated 1
H2552-04 לַ/חְמָ֔ם lachemam HR/Vqc for warming them to become hot 1
H2552-10 יִתְחַמָּֽם yitechamam HVti3ms he was warmed he will warm himself 1
H2552-02 חַמּוֹתִ֖י chamoti HVqp1cs I am warm I became hot 1
H2552-01 חַם cham HVqp3ms was hot Ham 1
H2552-09 יֵחַ֨מּוּ֙ yechamu HVqi3mp are hot they will grow hot 1
H2552-08 יָחֹם֙ yachom HVqi3ms he warms he becomes hot 1
H2552-05 תְּחַמֵּֽם techamem HVpi3fs she warms she heats up 1

Occurrences in Scripture

13 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2552-07 Exodus 16:21 וְ/חַ֥ם vecham HC/Vqp3ms and grew hot and Hot-One
H2552-07 1 Kings 1:2 וְ/חַ֖ם vecham HC/Vqq3ms and warm and Hot-One
H2552-06 2 Kings 4:34 וַ/יָּ֖חָם vayacham HC/Vqw3ms and grew warm and he became hot
H2552-06 Isaiah 44:15 וַ/יָּ֔חָם vayacham HC/Vqw3ms and-he-warms-himself and he became hot
H2552-08 Isaiah 44:16 יָחֹם֙ yachom HVqi3ms he warms he becomes hot
H2552-02 Isaiah 44:16 חַמּוֹתִ֖י chamoti HVqp1cs I am warm I became hot
H2552-04 Isaiah 47:14 לַ/חְמָ֔ם lachemam HR/Vqc for warming them to become hot
H2552-03 Isaiah 57:5 הַ/נֵּֽחָמִים֙ hanechamim HTd/VNrmpa who inflame yourselves the ones becoming heated
H2552-09 Hosea 7:7 יֵחַ֨מּוּ֙ yechamu HVqi3mp are hot they will grow hot
H2552-01 Psalms 39:4 חַם cham HVqp3ms was hot Ham
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